Why ELDER SCROLLS V: SKYRIM Is Going To Ruin Your Social Life

When Oblivion was released in 2006, it quickly became one of the most critically acclaimed and groundbreaking RPG games of all time. The fourth entry in the Elder Scrolls series; Oblivion was a truly stunning achievement, putting players in the beautiful world of Cyrodiil. A world full of endless possibility, making it fun to explore and discover all of its secrets. It not only entranced PC gamers, but was notable for becoming one of the must have early titles for the Xbox 360. The game showed off the capability of the console, but also served as an introduction for many console gamers to a far more intricate role-playing experience than they were perhaps used to.

There was a tiny downside to all this…. It was unstoppably addictive.

While playing Oblivion, time would just slip away, with players unaware of the fact that they were spending hour upon hour, traversing the landscape and exploring dungeons. It was all too easy to start playing early in the evening and before you knew it, it was 6am and you’d been playing for hours. Outside the world was preparing for the day ahead, whilst you sat in your pants trying to find a cure for vampirism.

Bethesda followed up Oblivion with the equally time-consuming Fallout 3. Some argued that it lacked Oblvion’s beauty with its depressing apocalyptic setting, but it also improved upon the gameplay in many areas. Some of these refinements have now made their way into Skyrim, with the same team working on the game and introducing features such as the popular perks. Skyrim has as much of a chance of being as groundbreaking in 2011 as its predecessor was in 2006.

On the 11th of November, you can probably say goodbye to your friends, family and career. You are going on an epic adventure. Maybe one day you’ll return, but it’s likely that you’ll never be the same again.

Mostly because you’ve been dumped, fired and presumed dead.

Here’s a look at some of the reasons why Skyrim is set to be this year’s most addictive game.

A Whole New World To Explore

Skyrim features a vast and interactive open-world; full of lush forests, populated towns and huge scalable mountains. After players have created their character and played through a brief introductory sequence, they are free to roam the beautiful landscape, following whichever path they desire. As before there are countless side-missions and quests to complete alongside the games main storyline. Much like Oblivion, there’s so much to do, it’ll probably be quite easy to forget about the main quest.

There are five large cities to explore, as well as several smaller villages and towns that the player will discover. These towns are full of quests and side missions to be undertaken, as well as jobs and lodgings. In true role-playing tradition however, more sadistic players are free to ignore a hospitable welcome, and instead choose to murder inhabitants and steal valuable items. It’s also great to know that several of the guilds are returning, including thieves and warriors.

With such a large world at the player’s disposal, it’s once again possible to traverse on horseback or for those looking for complete immersion, entirely on-foot. The world has been described by Bethesda as roughly the same size as Oblivions, but they have also promised more variation in the scenery and locations. Not only this, but the dungeons and caves have been given a complete overhaul. Repetitive dungeons were one of Oblivion’s only weak points. Effort has been made to make the dungeons all uniquely different from the last, with many having their own handcrafted atmosphere.

Stunning Graphics

When released in 2006, Oblivion looked amazing and was easily one of the best looking games of its time. Sadly, when the engine was recently reused for Obsidian’s Fallout New Vegas, it was starting to show its age badly. As well as numerous crippling bugs and glitches, the stiff animations, lifeless character models and clunky combat found many hoping that Bethesda’s next game would solve these issues. They were clearly thinking ahead, with Skyrim running on a brand new engine, developed for the game from the ground up.

Early gameplay footage has shown that the game looks absolutely stunning. The environments are lavish and feature a far greater draw-distance before; but players are also just as likely to be taken in by the small details as they are the stunning scenery. Thankfully, the awful third person animations from Oblvion and Fallout are a thing of the past, with Skyrim offering a more competent switch between first and third person views. Finally players with a fondness for third person will now be able to do so without feeling like they are controlling a floating puppet with invisible strings.

Refined Combat and Magic

The combat system in Oblivion was functional but hardly perfect. Bethesda have worked hard to make sure that skirmishes in Skyrim are far more fluid. While role-playing fanatics are generally used to clunky combat, Skyrim with its refined fighting system should help it appeal to a larger audience. The emphasis here is on the ability to duel-wield, with it being possible to assign different weapons and spells to each hand. This allows for endless experimentation. It’s entirely possible to equip two different spell combinations to each trigger and combine the two to create hybrid magic spells. Or, if you’re more of a hack and slash person, equipping various swords and shields.

Blocking has also been redefined, now being a timed challenge with players unable to simply hide behind a shield during combat. Whereas in previous Elder Scrolls games combat was somewhat dictated by the class chosen at the beginning of the game, Skyrim has taken away this defined choice. Instead, decisions and choices led by the player throughout the game will dictate the style of combat. It’s also possible to specialise in weaponry and magic, through both repeated use and unlocking perks.

Spells are spread across a variety of different areas including destruction, illusion and conjuration. These spells, as well as being able to be combined to create new combinations, can be used in a variety of different ways other than simply being thrown at enemies. The fire spell, can also be laid down on the ground to create a trap for enemies and attackers.

Big Scary Dragons

I was a little apprehensive when I first heard about the inclusion of dragons in Skyrim. Simply because the use of the creatures in the fantasy genre, evokes memories of Eragon and Dragonheart. Not that Skyrim has much of a chance of being that bad; in fact its looking like the inclusion of dragons in the game will be pretty astonishing. The world is populated by these huge fire breathing beasts, with random encounters forcing the player to be constantly prepared for having to defeat the creatures. They might only form part of a world which is full of vicious creatures and savage beasts, but the dragon encounters look to be a particularly scary highlight.

Dragons are also sure to feature prominently in the story itself, with the mysterious main protagonist being referred to as a Dragonborn. This status gives the player the ability to absorb the souls of defeated dragons, earning dragon shouts. Essentially these discovered shouts will give the player access to unique abilities, skills and attacks. Bethesda have yet to confirm rumours that Duncan Bannatyne from BBC hit Dragon’s Den will be voicing several of the in-game dragons.

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The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is released on the 11th November 2011 for PC, Xbox 360 and Playstation 3. For a look at the game in action, watch the video below.

Cult horror enthusiast and obsessive videogame fanatic. Stephen considers Jaws to be the single greatest film of all-time and is still pining over the demise of Sega's Dreamcast. As well regularly writing articles for WhatCulture, Stephen also contributes reviews and features to Ginx TV.

lol @ Suzanna, satisfied with losing several hours to this game? Having played Oblivion and Fallout 3 several time over, I can tell you this guy is not joking when he talks of time passing quickly with these games. Several hours will barely be the start of the beginning. Prepare to live a whole other life for a few months !

As the other two said. Several hours is not going to get you anywhere in this game. If this game is anything like oblivion, you MIGHT be done with the tutorial if you rushed through the whole thing. As it says in the article, prepare to lose your social life

Bethesda is a very eclectic game publisher. When they create a game it is a conscious blending of the gaming industry, and skyrim seems to favor the modern gaming industry, w/ out throwing out key elder scrolls concepts. they are losing old time fans of which are not open minded enough, causing Beth a dilemma. They also have a ton of crazy ideas, not necessarily a good thing for the current game in creation. The creative forces in Bethesda are constantly playing games themselves, which is why their RPGs specifically are so fantastic. They elegantly blend the genres into a seperate genre i refer to as “mindf*ck”, because it will seem very familiar when you play it, and it might even bother you when it is constantly tickling your brain. They (the creative forces behind Beth) have already experienced the the core elements behind Skyrim a hundred times over, and if you are an avid gamer, so have you. The only new elements i have seen in Skyrim that do not only enhance the escapist quality of their worlds, such as the easily accessible Oblivion, are borrowed from other games. there are so many examples of this, but this comment is already a book. Radiant story, the way the game world flows and living beings interact with each other, and the game itself reacting to the way your character progresses are not even original in themselves, although these will truly set Skyrim apart. They are stolen from the one thing not copyrighted, trademarked, and patented, REAL LIFE. I agree, I do not think that whoever in Beth felt the need to create an alternate world operating in time and space, and very familiar to our own would enjoy playing skyrim past being happy with the genre blending and combat system improvement over the last game. This is what separates Dream Theater( a spitting image of Beth) from Nirvana. Dream Theater is even having the same exact fanbase crysis as Beth. Whoever is taking the time to read this probly doesn’t listen to Dream Theater, but you must know Nirvana. Beth is in a category by itself, along with DT. I don’t think Bethesda is aware of what it is doing but it is heading in a different direction than any game or virtual simulator, and is more effecient than both in accessibly in creating an enticing reflection of our world that helps us, most importantly, understand the world around us, aside from being an addicting and enjoyable experience for a myriad of reasons that are specific to the individual player. Skyrim is essentially a very popular beginning to something that will ultimately help humanity. Donating to the starving children in africa is just as important as a flight to Mars, for example, just as eating food is as essential to myself as setting long term goals and working towards dreams is, If you are someone who is a mentally and emotionally healthy person who has no major character flaws. maybe i have too much faith in humanity but i think we can overcome our current intellectual depression. I’m not saying EVERYONE is stupid but even those who aren’t many times won’t go anywhere deep. Bethesda studios is (most likely unconsciously) working towards the the greater good of humanity, so buy this game and enjoy it.